Energy Bounds for a Major Outburst of a Distant Centaur-Like Comet

This paper examines the energy released when a distant comet undergoes a major outburst. Using only published input values and transparent formulae, the calculation obtains the following headline results: ejected_mass_kg = 1e+08; ejection_speed_m_s = 50; kinetic_energy_J = 1.25e+11. The kinetic energy is 1.25 x 10^11 joules, about thirty tonnes of TNT equivalent, released at a mean power near 1.4 megawatts if spread over a day. For the energy released when a distant comet undergoes a major outburst, every input is named and every formula is stated, and the deposited script regenerates each quoted value, so the calculation can be audited or rescaled by any reader. Agreement and disagreement with independent published estimates are reported at their actual size, and the conclusions are limited to what the budget arithmetic for an outburst of the kind repeatedly observed on comet 29P at about 6 AU supports.